To celebrate its first anniversary, Colansa (Latin American and Caribbean Nutrition and Health Community of Practice), in partnership with Idec (Brazilian Institute for Consumer Protection), organized the online seminar “Food Systems: debating advances and paths for Latin America” on Friday (25).
On the occasion, the coalition of partners presented its Annual Report with the goals achieved and testimonies of the network members, reinforcing the importance of strengthening partnerships to promote the transition of food systems in the region.
“In Mexico, our participation in Colansa has been fundamental in policies such as food labeling, point of sale regulation and advertising aimed at children”, said Simón Barquera, director of the Center for Research in Nutrition and Health at the Mexican National Institute of Public Health.
Since its creation, in March 2021, Colansa has actively contributed, through technical meetings, seminars and publications, to the discussion of fundamental themes for facing common challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean in relation to nutrition and health.
Representing the Healthy Latin America Coalition (CLAS), Beatriz Champagne recognized that one of the main achievements was to unite the academic, research, and political advocacy communities. “Colansa’s effort through training, better communication, positioning, construction of joint spaces, all of this helped us to bring the two communities closer together”.
Camila Corvalan, from the Chilean Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), recalled that the group’s first initiative was aimed at addressing the issue of frontal nutrition labeling. She highlighted “the way we decided to organize efforts at Colansa through working groups, known as “hubs”, where we connect those who do research and those who do advocacy”.
In addition to a thematic working group, members meetings, an advocacy workshop, events and seminars were held to discuss the UN Food Systems Summit and strategies to prevent childhood obesity in Latin America.
“Colansa still has a long way to go considering the regional and international contexts, which point out challenges and obstacles to ensure healthier and more sustainable food systems”, explains Ana Paula Bortoletto, nutritionist at Idec. “I emphasize the need to move forward with the discussion of industry interference in public policy decision-making processes, which tend to favor economic interests”.
Now, Colansa faces the challenge of consolidating and expanding its operations by advancing in new paths and themes. Some of them are considered fundamental by the global situation, such as the impacts – and multiple impacts that are yet to come – of the covid-19 pandemic, and others, such as, for example, the need to discuss instruments and mechanisms for the prevention of conflicts of interest in food and nutrition security policies and programs.